Reese Witherspoon sparks heated debate: Is it OK to eat snow? Experts weigh in

nypost.com:

Reese Witherspoon is sparking a heated debate about whether it’s safe to eat snow after sharing a video of herself making a “Snow Salt Chococinno” on Friday.“Oh my gosh, it’s so good,” she gushed on TikTok after adding salted caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, and cold-brewed coffee to the snow she had scooped off her covered grill.The deluge of concerned comments prompted Witherspoon, 47, to make not one, but three, follow-up TikToks to address worries.

In the first, she microwaved the snow to produce clear water in an attempt to combat the “dirty” snow rumors.“So, we’re kind of in the category of, ‘you only live once,’ and it snows maybe once a year here,” Witherspoon explained in the second follow-up clip. “I don’t know.

Also, I want to say something — it was delicious.”The Oscar winner also admitted that she didn’t drink filtered water as a kid growing up in the South and doesn’t know “how to filter the snow.”Witherspoon’s series on the pros and cons of eating snow comes as snowfall recipes are flooding social media, with 183,900 TikTok views logged for #snowtreats, from ice cream to maple taffy.For their part, scientists have long chewed over the age-old question: Is it safe to eat snow?A study published in 2016 found that snow in urban areas can absorb the same toxic substances that come from car exhaust.“Snow flakes are ice particles with various types of surfaces, including several active sites, that can absorb various gaseous or particulate pollutants,” study author Dr.